Morning Star
by jaelly-bean
Summary: Post Series.Lucifer goes to Assiah in an attempt to get away. There he meets Juno, a human girl easy to befriend. When Astaroth sets his sights on Lucifer's throne, Juno becomes leverage. And so does her guardian angel, Osmadiel. AstarothXOC-LuciferXOC
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The only owner of Angel Sanctuary is the wonderful Kaori Yuki.

**Morning Star**

By 24ko

Chapter 1

Juno lay quietly in her bed, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling of her new apartment. The new sights, smells and sounds keeping her awake until the ungodly hours of the morning. "Sleep, damn it…" She muttered quietly to herself. The red numbers of her alarm clock glowed a grave one fifty three am, and she couldn't feel sleep coming.

She rolled onto her stomach and plucked her cell phone off her rickety end table. A new text message was waiting in her inbox.

_Why haven't you called me back? I want to talk - David_

"Sure you do…" Juno opened the menu and her thumb hovered over 'reply', her mind running through all the possible words she could text back to him. She started to think about everything she would have _wanted_ to say to him, if she didn't lack the courage. A sudden bitterness swelled in her chest, and she hit 'delete' instead.

Juno never thought of herself as the perfect girlfriend. She had opinions, she had a temper and a big mouth that spilled whatever she thought. But she knew that despite rough around the edges she may have been, she deserved better than a boyfriend who cheated. David was one of many reasons she turned her back on her small hometown and moved into the big city.

She jumped when her cell phone started ringing. "What the…?" The caller id read 'Dana'. Juno rolled onto her back again and stared at her phone as it continued to ring. Dana was a coworker of hers. She had started her new job waiting tables at a local Italian restaurant a few days prior, and Dana was quick to befriend her. But Juno wondered why Dana would be calling her in the middle of the night.

Before the call was transferred to her voicemail, she caved and answered. "Hello?"

"Juno!" Dana shouted over a loud, pumping bass. "What are you doing?" Her words were slurred, sluggish from alcohol.

"… Trying to sleep." Juno said, leaning over to flick on her bedside lamp.

"Well STOP trying to sleep and come hang out with us, new girl! I want you to meet everybody!"

The idea of going to a club in the middle of the night appealed to Juno. In her small hometown, her idea of a wild time was hanging out at her friend's house and watching movies all night. And now that she had just moved to the Big City, it was time to start her new, big city life. "Count me in. Where are you?" She said, throwing her covers off her legs and coming to a stand.

Dana gave her the necessary directions after she let out a whoop of drunken triumph. Juno scribbled them down on a piece of paper on her desk.

"Juno, you are SO going to enjoy yourself. This club is so flippin' AWESOME! Heyyy, don't take my ph-"

The line clicked dead, and again Juno found herself chuckling, picturing the obvious scenario of some drunken friend of Dana's stealing her phone in mid-sentence. She closed her phone and stuffed it into her bag, along with the scribbled directions. A moment later she flicked her bathroom light on and stood before her mirror.

Juno had always been an exceptionally pale girl, her skin smooth, perfect and healthy, despite her pallor. A childhood illness had left her with a thin, frail looking body. While age and better health had granted her moderate curves, she had never grown taller than five foot five, and never weighed over 115 pounds, despite all the junk food she had ever eaten.

Her hair was a thick, curly cascade of chestnut brown, falling at the small of her back. She quickly brushed it back into a sloppy, half-worked bun behind her head, a few straw pieces framing her delicate face. She quickly applied her makeup, ringing her green eyes with black liner.

Most of her clothes were still packed in their boxes, so she settled for throwing on the same red plaid pleated skirt she had worn the day before, black tights, boots, and a white button up shirt. The pseudo-schoolgirl look worked on her. So she ran with it.

Comfortable with her appearance, she grabbed her bag and stepped out into her hallway. The last thing she expected to see was anybody in the hallways of her buildings at two am, but the man living in the apartment directly across from her, opened his door at the same moment she did.

The movement from across the hall took Juno by surprise, and apparently, it had shocked him too. They stood there with their doors wide open, hands still on the knobs, staring at each other.

Although Juno wasn't sure why his gaze lingered on her, she certainly was struck dumb by how handsome this man was. He was tall, with glossy black hair that hung past his shoulders. His eyes were the most intense shade of grey, like clouds on a drizzly day. His gaze held her in place, held her there so all she could think to do was stare at that perfect face. So perfect, as though it were molded from clay. It held a sort of stoic calm, and even at her first glance she knew a smile rarely tugged his lips. There was a tattoo adorning his left eye, but it was far too dark for Juno to make out what it was. She had never seen a man like him before, she thought his kind of model-beauty didn't really exist outside of airbrushed magazine covers.

She quickly dropped her gaze to the floor, feeling her cheeks flush. "How's it goin'?" She asked as she closed her door and locked the dead bolt with her key. She was trying to be smooth, trying to act like he wasn't the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen.

He didn't answer her, and when she turned back around, he still hadn't moved. His eyes were still burning into hers, capturing her in his deep, icy stare. His face still frozen, his hand still on his doorknob. Juno's heart started to pound wildly in her chest, not because of his perfect appearance, but because there was just something… off about that stare. Like he was studying her face, committing it to memory. Or worse…

She felt the heat from the awkward situation burning in her cheeks. "Um… I'll see you around." Juno said, and quickly left down the hallway, shoving her keys into her bag.

She made two quick notes to herself: First, her new neighbor, despite how gorgeous he was, was clearly a few cans short of a six pack. Potential serial killer? God, she hoped not.

And second: buy a can of pepper spray.

oOo

The loud, pumping bass of the club was enough to give Lucifer a headache. His cold grey eyes surveyed the dark, neon lit room with growing displeasure.

The strange rituals of humans never ceased to disgust him. He tried not to think about how easy it would be to just kill them all. To end their short, meaningless, frail lives with a single whim. A single stroke of his hand.

But he knew they might ask him to leave, if that happened. And his only reason for coming to this noisy, crowded club would be in all for nothing.

"Of all the places I find you, Lord Lucifer. I find you in a human nightclub." A smooth voice floated over the bass.

Lucifer wasn't at all surprised over the sudden appearance of Mad Hatter in the empty booth seat across from him. He had felt her coming. He could feel the presence of any angel in the Material World.

He casually looked across the table at the Jester. Her face was painted up, as usual. Painted white with a single black tear spilling from her left eye. Her arms were crossed over her flat, androgynous chest, her pinstriped suit only wrinkling at the elbows. "Ah. Mad Hatter. What brings you here?"

"Why ask questions when you already know the answers, My Lord?" Mad Hatter lowered her head, the brim of her top hat slipping low enough to cover her eyes. "I've come to see if you will finally return home to Sheol."

"I suppose it's your turn to ask silly questions, isn't it Hatter?" Lucifer said, taking a sip of his drink. "The answer has been, and again will be 'no'."

Mad Hatter shrugged her square shoulders. "I suppose it doesn't hurt to ask. But might I ask a question I truly do _not_ know the answer to?"

"You may."

"Why are you in a human nightclub?"

Lucifer should have known that question was coming, and he didn't believe he was entirely sure how to answer it. He leaned back in the booth seat and smoothed out the wrinkles of his black silk shirt. To give Mad Hatter an answer, he let his gaze wander to a certain girl on the dance floor, swaying to the hard, rhythmic beats of techno music.

Mad Hatter followed Lucifer's gaze until she saw that girl. Hatter's black rimmed eyes widened at the sight of her face. "It can't be…" Lucifer felt her suck in a deep breath, a breath meant to not just smell the room, but to taste the energy. She let the breath out just as quickly as she pulled it in, as though she were sighing with relief. "That is not Alexiel…"

"Of course it isn't." Lucifer said, a certain bitter sting in his voice.

"But that face. She looks just like her."

"You are stating the obvious, Hatter." Lucifer said, taking another sip of his drink. "Why else would I be here?"

"But sire… this woman is not Alexiel. She is only human. You'll abandon your throne in Sheol for a human?"

Lucifer cast a dangerous glare at his underling, silently warning her that she was starting to toe her boundaries. "The human has nothing to do with why I stay on Assiah. Not another word on the subject, Hatter."

"Of course not, Sire…" Mad Hatter said, shrinking slightly against the cushioned booth seat. "I will return to Sheol, now. I wish you the best in whatever you are pursuing, my Lord."

And then she was gone, taken quickly away by a rush of speed only an Angel could pull off. Lucifer sat in silence as he processed Mad Hatter's final words to him. She wished him luck in whatever he was pursuing…

He looked back onto the dance floor to see the face of Alexiel's doppelganger, and he wondered just what he was, in fact, pursuing.

Was it peace? Closure? The comfort of knowing that Alexiel wasn't really gone? He had lived so many centuries following her cursed spirit through the ages… but now Alexiel's curse was lifted. No thanks to that rotten Sara Mudo. And Alexiel's body was still an empty, lifeless shell, and her soul…? At peace. She had gone to place Lucifer could not follow. And he only had his memories to remember her by.

Except now, by a twisted turn of fate, a human woman with the face of the angel he had once loved had crash-landed into his life. For reasons he could not explain, he felt drawn to this lowly human with an Angel's face. A small, fragile looking, underdeveloped, clumsy girl named Juno Monahan.

**To be continued… **

Ohayo, everybody! I hope you like my random experiment. Please tell me what you think! ^^


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, my lovelies! I am here to announce that the Dynamic Duo is back! I have once again teamed up with the lovely and talented Brenli to co-write Morning Star!

BRENLI'S COAUTHORESS NOTE: AWWWWWWWWWW SNAP. You bitches knew that the Awesome Duo would come together again, didn't you? Of course you did. And we are indeed a force to be reckoned with. FEAR US.

Now, before I begin… I must make note that with my… introduction into MS (Oh you laugh it up, just laugh it UP 'cause I don't care. XD), there are other characters that have been pulled into the storyline, now. The one that everyone is at least somewhat familiar with is Astaroth. Or, as I shall affectionately call him, my lil AzzyRoth. XD Now, mentioning his very name is enough of a warning for the people that are knowledgeable enough. He's everyone's favorite bloodthirsty sadist, le Marquis de la Crainte, the Marquis of FEAR! XD So I do have a lot of work ahead of me. I'm scared but willing to tackle the challenge. BUT, because I know that some of the readers of the world can only handle so much, I am issuing a FORMAL WARNING. (Oh yes. You know something's gonna be intense I feel like I have to forewarn people.)

This story will deal with difficult topics involving the level of Astaroth's insanity, abuse of varying levels, torture, sadism and masochism (in particular the practice of knife play), blood fetishism, and POSSIBLY rape and attempted suicide.

I SWEAR I'M SANE. I SWEAR IT. O.o (And for the readers that knows about Layers – keep your man panties on. I'm still working on it. DX)

**Morning Star**

By 24ko and Brenli

Chapter 2

Pencils. Pencils and pens scribbled and danced little dark trails all over sheets of paper. 27 in all, these pencils and pens. They belonged to students at the college level, hurrying to complete a mid-term. The essay topic? Satanism and its prevalence among the humans of Assiah. A touchy topic for many human beings.

But for an Angel… one could consider this standard.

There was a 28th student. The dark heel of her brown leather shoe beat against the white linoleum floor, her blue pen resting between her fingers and her soft cheek. The pen left a tiny blue dot upon that cheek, a blue freckle to match her eyes. She didn't care.

She wasn't an incredibly smart student. That was not the reason why she beat her heel against the floor and stared at the clock. This was her SECOND time taking this course – Modern Influence of the Dark King and the Satans, or, as often shortened, Modern Evils. She already knew how to ace the mid-term with flying colors, and she had finished early. She merely stayed because her professor wanted to speak with her after class.

However, this 28th student was not a stupid girl, either. It is not often than an Angel takes on the duty and honor of becoming a Guardian Angel while still studying in the Academy, largely because the job takes up too much of one's time – That the 28th student had not dropped out of the Academy is a strange thing, indeed.

At last, the tiny buzzer on the professor's desk gave out a shrill, nasty sound, and the professor said with a regal voice, "Pencils down. Pass your exams to the front of each row and I'll collect them."

But the 28th student kept her mid-term in her hands, ready to hand it to the professor in person. She may as well, right? The professor HAD asked to speak with her after class, after all.

"Osmadiel," The professor said warmly. This was the second time he had been given the opportunity of having this overworked college Angel in his classroom, and by now he was on vaguely friendly terms with her. The kind of friendship a mentor lends to a familiar pupil. "I see the mid-term was easy this time around?" He tapped an upside-down pentagram with a wry smile. "Lord have mercy on you. Sacrilegious symbols on your mid-term. I should downgrade you for this."

"Do it, then." Osmadiel said lightly, unconcerned about what effect that might have on her grade. "We studied the symbols of the mid-term. Now you are fully aware that I know exactly what they are."

"So I should give you extra credit. Is that what you're implying?"

"No. It won't matter." Osmadiel tucked her shining, pale blonde strands behind her ear as an idle gesture, taking a moment to steel herself for what was next.

"About that. I have heard that you're going to formally withdraw from this class." The professor's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I have heard that you're withdrawing from all of your classes."

"I'm not dropping out…?"

"PLEASE try to sound more firm in your argument. You're a clever girl and you could pass on to higher ranks if only you would finish your schooling."

A very tiny pout pursed the pink lips on Osmadiel's child-like face, still carrying little pouches of baby fat on her cheeks. "At least I have a very good reason. My Guarded needs my attention."

"So much so, that you have decided to take a break? You were juggling the two duties marvelously so far."

She merely shook her head. "The Dark King has been in very close proximity to my Guarded. I have to go down and keep closer watch."

Her professor let out a low whistle. "You must be careful, Osmie," his concern leaked out in the form of her common nickname, "Where the Devil lingers there are accompanying evils."

"I'll be as careful as I can be." That was the best any Angel could say when dealing with the prospect of being in close proximity to Lucifer, the Dark King.

The professor understood this, so he could only nod and wave his pupil away. "Then I gather today is your last day," he spoke casually, just the same.

Osmie replied with a nod. "I have all the paperwork signed and ready. The only thing that's left is the… going." She shrugged her pale shoulders.

"Good luck." The professor wished her well, and a smile crinkled his eyes. "Hurry back in time for the next quarter. This class will be at 8:30 AM and I'll have the grades from all your previous work saved for you."

How kind of him to keep her work instead of deleting it like most would have. Osmie grinned widely in response as she said, "The third time's a charm, right? I'll actually get through the second half of the class!"

"I hope so. I'm getting tired of seeing your face and reading your horrible handwriting." He laughed and waved her away again.

This time, Osmie left, a light, easy laugh flowing out of her mouth. But she laughed more out of habit at the moment, making a beeline straight for home, straight for her packed bags and the paperwork for her tiny one-bedroom apartment in the ghetto of the Big City. However much Osmie may have liked the idea of meeting her Guarded, meeting Juno Monahan… she hoped that she wouldn't have to see her long. That she could somehow drive the Dark King away from her and allow Juno to return to a… less supernaturally-charged life. Goodness knows that the last thing Juno needed was to deal with a world full of winged, powerful people…

oOo

Astaroth was never a man that had claimed to find any real GOOD with a place like Assiah… or, Earth. Whichever it was he should call it. But he would call it either or, depending on what he felt like. Let anyone that found this unacceptable take it up with him. Or try.

As it were, Astaroth never thought that Assiah could hold anything GOOD. And by good, he meant anything that would have appealed to him.

It's nothing against Earth, though. There is very little, if ANYTHING, that Astaroth can find appealing. People, for example. ANY people. Those were perhaps one of the most unappealing things of all.

Especially then they were dirty, disillusioned street punks with god complexes. God? Please. Astaroth knew God. Astaroth HATED God as much as he hated anything else, which was a great… GREAT deal. But humans… measly HUMANS thinking they could be as great AS God? BE God? They wished. Astaroth would sooner take that position… with great relish and carnage. Carnage like dirty street punks with their heads smashed in.

OOPS? Never. Astaroth had meant to slam their heads together that hard on PURPOSE. That's what they get for asking for… money. What a funny thing. Street punks feeling like God, asking for money. Didn't they know? Gods don't ever need money.

He tapped the two bodies with the steel toe of his black boot, wondering of the bodies would twitch. Sometimes they did, you see. But he was given nothing but an outpouring of blood, dark reddish fluid pooling out around the two smashed heads.

It was not enough. It was never enough. A sneer curled itself onto his lips and he moved his hand in a small circle, a twisting of the wrist, and summoned up for himself his favorite weapon – his axe. He took a private joy in the swinging of the axe, in the splitting of flesh and bone, the squishing and crushing of the all-too-fragile, human bodies.

He could say this much about Assiah, Earth – the people here were GREAT for killing purposes. So the Earth had THAT much going for it, at least.

Astaroth stopped when a stray, brown eyeball rolled dangerously close to his foot. He stepped on it, relishing the squishing sound, and dropped the bloody axe, stripped off the blood-splattered, black trench coat.

Then he turned and left, dropping one bloodied glove, then the other as he left the alleyway. That had been good sport for his idle mind, but their death were not what he was here for.

He was here for Lucifer… the Dark King. But certainly not for long. Leave it to a selfish tyrant like Lucifer to hold claim to his title and never come back home…! Astaroth was all too aware of how just SELFISH the man was. He was the kind of man that would hold his tiny whims over the larger… much more important personal pains… like a dead sister…

BUT NOT FOR LONG! Soon he would have the Dark Fool on his knees and begging to the Marquis of Fear to take the accursed crown and forgive him his errors. And Astaroth? He would take that crown, but he would laugh. He would LAUGH and rip Lucifer into pieces. Slowly, of course. He must enjoy every tiny tendon, every miniscule pore on his skin as it stretched and then ripped. He must revel in Lucifer's screams, and surely he WOULD scream. Beg for forgiveness. He should have let him mourn. He should have let him…!

Ah, but the Marquis couldn't let himself get too caught up in the dreams. Oh no. He knew better than anyone that dreams only come true if you pursue them. You have to make that effort. You have to actually DO something. Right now, that entailed taking in the air, tasting for the Dark King's presence. He knew he was close… somewhere with many humans.

An interesting development. Since when did Lucifer mingle with the pitiful people of this world? Was that what he had left Sheol behind for? That fucking asshole. He really should have just given the damn crown to him, then. But then again, things would have played out a lot less adventurously –

What was that? Astaroth paused, not two blocks away from his most recent murder, and inhaled slowly. A new taste in the air… something almost sugary. But no Fallen Angel had ever carried such a spiritual… aura. Something that denoted such… sweetness. A purity.

… A PURE ANGEL WAS NEAR.

oOo

"… Spicy. Spice. Tastes like… spice." Osmie had to remind herself as she stepped along in silver, strappy heels and tugged on the hot pink fabric that was her mini-dress. She knew that any Fallen Angel would carry a certain kind of spiciness, a muskiness, to their energy, and was keen enough to track down such an energy from a local nightclub. She had dressed accordingly… she assumed. She'd looked around at the passersby, but everyone wore coats. She noticed that she was being eyed a great deal for her lack of coat… Curses. She'd remember to bring one, next time. But the temperature here didn't seem PARTICULARLY cold, to her.

Perhaps this was a modesty issue? In Heaven, such a dress was only worn privately. Maybe it was the same for Assiah? But that would seem all too silly. The humans often watched women in such dresses on their television sets and thought nothing of it… was this the sort of outfit only to be worn on television?

The energy suddenly seemed to double, but Osmie paid it no mind. Her daydreaming was a terrible habit and she needed to remain FOCUSED, here. Her attention to idle mental pondering may have dulled her sensitivity to the Dark King's energy. Though she could not recall his energy ever being quite THIS strong, before… Was someone else –

She did not have the time to finish her own thought. An unseen force pulled her into the narrow space between two brick buildings and THREW her against a wooden fence. She caught herself before the wooden planks could snap, overwhelmed. Had the Dark King caught on and found her? A long, lanky but strong arm encircled her body, pinning her arms to her torso… The sharpness of a blade bit at her neck.

"I knew I sensed PURITY nearby." Astaroth was overwhelmed with the energy. This sweetness was something he had not sensed in hundreds of years. The Angel was very young. No way could she have been a full-fledged adult for long. Sweet, young, innocent... Disgusting. He wanted to tear her apart. "Are you mute?" He snarled and turned her to face him. A child! Rounded little cheeks and a permanent pout. A child's face! No way had she been an adult for long, no way.

"You're not the Devil." Those were the first words she spoke to him, blue eyes wide and fearful as they took in the long, blood-red hair. Red. Lucifer's hair was black, his eyes were gray. This man's eyes were… a rich amber color, multidimensional gold. Molten with hatred.

He said nothing, a growl issuing from deep within his throat as the sharp edge of his knife traced along the edges of her face. She kept her eyes trained to those gold orbs and suddenly pieced together two things.

Firstly… he looked about ready to carve her face off.

Secondly… she remembered his picture in the schoolbooks. This was Astaroth… Satan of Sloth. The Marquis of Fear.

And he obviously lived up to his title very well. Gold eyes settled on blue ones, and she could not look away. Some strange new look came into the amber eyes, made them widen…

Because she was staring at him.

Astaroth did the first thing he thought of – THROW the bitch away. When she gasped at the impact against the fence, he got back on the right track. HURT THE BITCH. MAKE HER WISH SHE'D NEVER LOOKED HIM IN THE EYES. MAKE IT SO THAT SHE'D NEVER LOOK INTO HIS EYES AGAIN! He pinned her against the fence, his knife poised and ready for a clean strike at the center of her throat.

But then she grabbed at his arm and shoved it aside while twisting, and the blade only met weak wood.

WHAT WAS THIS??? DEFIANCE??? She had NO way of beating him! NONE! "GIVE UP NOW!" He roared, only to be taken aback when she answered him, her blue eyes still piercing into his gold ones:

"NEVER."

NEVER??? NEVER, she says! He'll show her! He pinned her to a brick wall, and the blade sat RIGHT against her throat. He watched as the skin bent inward… not yet tearing… not yet. "STUPID ANGEL…" His voice came out in a growl, his breath warm against her face, "What use is it fighting against the Marquis? Hmm? What use is it? You should know better…" And he was back to running the blade against the soft curve of her cheek.

"I have bigger priorities than this…" She breathed out, the blue eyes still piercing into him, FOREVER piercing into him. Wide and frightened.

"HAH!" Astaroth's laugh was short, rough. He pulled her away from the brick wall only to slam her against it again. The bricks scratched against her skin and tore at the flesh, and Osmie hissed at the pain, her back arching. "What's more important to a Pure Angel than her own sorry life?"

"LUCIFER." Osmie managed to groan against the pain.

This only spurred more laughter, something higher in pitch. He slammed her against the brick wall again. This time, Osmie cried out a tiny bit, but still she STARED. "What is he to ANY Pure Angel?"

"HE'S TOO CLOSE TO MY GUARDED! NOW LET ME GO!" Osmie felt the blow against her face. For a very brief moment, she thought the sharp pain had come of the blade of his knife. But the pain settled in a hot patch over her face. She'd been hit, yes, but only with the back of his strong hand. The pain sent corresponding shivers to her body. Signals, she was sure. Signals to be aware that soon he WOULD use the blade of the knife against her skin, and not just backhand her.

The knife was poised, this time, just under one blue eye. His amber orbs dared to meet her gaze… CHALLENGING her to keep on looking right at him. "Your Guarded, you say?" He prodded her flesh with the sharp tip. "Answer or I'll take out those pretty eyes you keep STARING at me with."

"What else can I say? The Dark King needs to stay AWAY from my Guarded. You'd do well to tell him tha-" She endured another immense shiver of pain as he slammed her into the bricks once more.

"NEVER. TELL ME. WHAT TO DO." Astaroth grumbled each syllable slowly, making absolutely sure Osmie understood him. "I don't want Lucifer around, either."

Crystal blue eyes stared at him boldy, even as they remained wide in fear. "… You don't." She seemed skeptical, and that awarded her another slap to her face. The impact spurred another gasp from her.

"NO, I DON'T. YOU BEST BELIEVE THAT." The Satan snarled and stared, the edge of the knife tapping against her face. He was thinking… and Osmie could not be sure if that was a good thing. "I have an idea, Puppet."

Her blue eyes narrowed into slits. "The name is Osmie."

"Puppet, Osmie." Astaroth's shoulders shrugged, careless. "I have an idea. We'll get rid of Lucifer. We'll kill him."

A frown instantly formed on Osmie's face. "I don't want to take it THAT far –"

"WE'RE GOING TO KILL HIM. Lest you would rather I kill you right now." A slow smile twisted the Marquis' features into something sinister and cruel. "We'll both get what we want. After that… we'll see if I still want you alive or not."

"… THAT'S it? That's your idea?" Osmie's voice quivered, tentative and terrified.

"I like it. It's a good idea."

"HARDLY!" Shivery adrenaline made her flail against his hold. He only slammed her once, twice, THREE times against the bricks. She cried out each time and felt heat along any bare skin subject to this brutality. Bleeding. Surely she was bleeding.

"It's the only offer you really HAVE. Be my Puppet and I'll let you live longer. Refuse… and I'll just kill you now." With that, he pressed the blade against her throat again. "Which do you choose? Death now or later?"

Now, he was not quite so merciful with the blade. He allowed it to slice her delicate flesh JUST so. A low, strangled groan escaped and morphed into a shaky breath… but those eyes. Those big blue eyes. They would NOT STOP STARING AT HIM. "… Okay." Her voice was barely audible.

"What was that?" The blade sliced JUST little deeper and the flesh split wider, turning red.

"OKAY!" Osmie gasped, desperate against the accursed blade.

"Wonderful…" He purred, pleased with his success, and dropped her.

Only at that moment did she realize that her feet had not been touching the ground. They'd been numb. She braced herself against the wall for support, and flinched when he grabbed her left wrist, pulling her arm out.

"I will find you tomorrow. You will live with me."

"Why is THAT necessary?"

"PUPPETS DON'T ASK QUESTIONS. THEY JUST DO." His grip on her wrist became deathly tight. Osmie shivered and wondered what she'd gotten herself into. "This… is to ensure that you do not forget our deal."

There had not been any time for her to pull away. The pain was sharper, seering, because the blade cut so much deeper. She could only let up a high-pitched cry as the blade bit her, leaving a thick bleeding slit on the inside of her forearm, against the fleshiest portion of it. Her bottom lip quivered as the shivery hot waves of pain echoed throughout her body. She realized she was quivering, nearly SPASMING. The shock of the assault had finally caught up with her.

"Now be a good Puppet. Don't forget." And just like that, he shoved her back out of the alley, scrapes along her back and shoulder, a thin cut at her neck, a thick gouge in her arm. Quivering, suffering.

And even then, she turned to look into his amber eyes. This time angry and bewildered.

He left before something inside him snapped and he killed his Puppet. After all, that wouldn't have done him any good, now would it?

oOo

A few blocks away, Juno was oblivious to the three angels that were steadily gravitating towards her. She had not a care in the world. She couldn't remember the last time she had had so much fun. Drinking. Dancing. Chatting with strangers that were rapidly becoming her new circle of friends.

She managed to pry herself away from Dana and her rambunctious friends long enough to sneak away for a cigarette. The night club had a side entrance that lead to the alley. Set up in the alley was a walled off, designated smoking area, furnished with ritzy outdoor chairs and tables.

In a time when health crazes and anti-smoking ads ran rampant, Juno was not surprised to find herself alone in the smoking area. Not that she minded the quiet, reserved place. Away from the pumping bass and ear-splitting music.

She took a seat at a table, crossed her legs, and pinched a cigarette between her lips.

"You know those things can kill you."

The sudden statement shattered the quiet, and Juno uttered a startled gasp. "Christ!" She said, glaring at the man who had snuck up on her. And those green eyes immediately widened. She recognized her weird neighbor. He stood there with his hands tucked in the pockets of his jeans, staring at her with those piercing grey eyes.

Of course he wasn't smiling. It may have cracked his face.

"Do you sneak up on people often?" Juno mumbled, cupping her hands around the end of her cigarette as she lit it. She tried her hardest to avoid eye contact.

Juno wasn't the type to get rattled easily. She had been through so much in her twenty one years of life, nothing seemed to surprise her. But that didn't make being blatantly followed by her neighbor any more comforting.

"Not usually, no." He said, pulling out the chair beside her and taking a seat. "You just don't seem to be all that observant." He held out a hand to her, expectantly.

Juno knew what he was silently asking for. His calm, confident actions eased her a bit. Eased her enough to pass him a cigarette nonchalantly, as though they had already been friends for years. "Well maybe I'm just not used to being followed."

Lucifer slipped the cigarette into his mouth and took her lighter off the table. The last time he had smoked a cigarette, he was known as 'Sakuya Kira'. But he fired it up like a pro and slid the lighter back to her. "Who says I'm following you?"

"If you were really coming out here to smoke, you wouldn't have to bum one from me."

The tiniest of smiles curled on Lucifer's lips. "An excellent point. I figured it would just be polite to introduce myself to my new neighbor."

Juno took a deep drag, staring at him with those green eyes. As she inhaled, she took in the strangest scent of roses. Like… roses mixed with a dark kind of spice. It was the strangest cologne she had ever sampled. And it seemed that only he could make it seem masculine. "So…? Introduce yourself, then."

"So pushy." Lucifer secretly allowed himself to be amused. "You first."

A few long moments passed before she finally spoke again. "I'm Juno. Juno Monahan." She didn't hold out a hand, and Lucifer didn't mind. He never understood the ritual of handshaking, as it was.

"Malachai Lawrence." He said, rattling off his human alias without hesitation.

"Nice to meet you." Juno said quietly. He was staring at her again. Shamelessly gazing upon her face without blinking. She shifted a little in her seat, once again finding that stare to be extremely uncomfortable. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Sorry." Lucifer said. But still, his gaze did not waiver. "You just… remind me of somebody." He allowed a small sliver of truth to slip, and he had no intention of revealing any more.

"Ex-girlfriend?" Juno asked, arching a chestnut brow as she took another deep drag of her cigarette.

"Something like that."

Juno nodded her head. She felt much better now that her neighbor's fixation on her face was better explained. It wasn't anything personal… she just looked like someone he knew.

Moments passed in silence as they sat and finished their cigarettes. Lucifer shamelessly watched Juno as she only stared off into nothingness. Her face was so similar to Alexiel's. There were subtle differences, of course. Juno's face was smaller, the features more delicate. Her eyes were smaller than Alexiel's, and held more of an almond shape. Her lips weren't quite as plump, yet they were still full. Ripe. … Kissable.

Another small smile crossed Lucifer's face. Kissable… It had been far too long since he had used such a word to describe a female. When he chose to sample the opposite sex, he usually chose to do more than just kissing.

Lucifer let his gaze wander over her body. Sure, she was small. She was short, her waist tiny. But her proportions were perfect. Considering her petite frame, her breasts were just the right size.

She wasn't Lucifer's typically busty, curvy prey. But when he imagined what it would be like…. Pulling that small body underneath his… Holding her beneath his hands…

"I need to get going." Juno said, breaking Lucifer's devious train of thought. "I have to work tomorrow."

"I'll walk you home." Lucifer said, snuffing his cigarette as he continued to let his hungry thoughts run away with him. He couldn't recall a time when such a blatant attraction to a female had hit him so hard. Then again, it had been far too long since he had felt a woman's most… intimate embrace.

"Your chivalry would be impressive if it was actually out of your way." Juno rolled her eyes, once again cutting through Lucifer's heated thoughts of her.

"Well maybe if I'm lucky, you'll let me tuck you in, too." Lucifer said, letting his gaze burn into hers with all the power and lust he felt in that moment. He was taking a risk in being so forward, but Lucifer usually ended up lucky.

In Lucifer's experience, there were usually three ways a woman would respond to such an open invitation. First, she could blush and politely refuse. Second, she could accept with a flirtatious wink and sultry comment.

Or she could surprise him, and do what Juno did. She could laugh.

It wasn't cruel laughter, by any means. It was a lighthearted, gleeful laughter. She took no offense to his comment, nor did she tell him to get lost. "You'll have to do better than that, Casanova." She chuckled more, clearly very amused as she slung her purse over her shoulder.

Lucifer could only smirk as he sensed the beginning of a new, entertaining game. It was very rare that a woman rejected him, and the rejection usually had the opposite effect on Lucifer. He could consider his interest piqued.

It had been a while since he'd toyed with a human. Of course, his intentions were somewhat less than honorable…

But he was the Devil. No one expected him to have a halo, anymore.

**To be continued… **


	3. Chapter 3

**Morning Star**

By: 24ko and Brenli

Chapter 3

Osmie's eyes were wild and angry, but the hard gold of his eyes – and the blood steadily pouring out of her deepest wound – told her that she had NO chance against him. … She didn't have a chance against him even if she were in tip-top shape. With that knowledge, her pride sufficiently wounded, she teetered away on her silver heels, a hand tightly clamped over her arm.

At heart, Osmie was an optimist who thought the best of people. She couldn't claim that she thought Astaroth would have been cordial – he was a SATAN, after all – but she had always thought the best of the human race.

She was having second thoughts, and FAST. She was a bleeding wreck – nevermind that some bandages and rest would be enough for her – and everyone either stared, or hurried right on by. Did she look DISEASED and highly CONTAGIOUS? UGH!

Well, forget them! HOPEFULLY, her Guarded would be an infinitely nicer person who would be willing to provide her with some medical attention. She could tell that she was going to need it, as she slowed her pace to keep from stumbling and tripping on her stilettos. She was losing energy way too fast… Astaroth had probably cut her much too deeply…

And she was going to LIVE with him? She wanted to cry. She probably COULD. The passersby would just try REALLY hard to ignore her.

But fortunately for Osmie, not all the human passersby were quite so repelled by her bleeding, shaken appearance. Juno walked steadily down the street, not saying a word to the man she knew as 'Malachai', striding beside her. She didn't notice when the amused look on his face suddenly vanished. In its place was something dark, contemplative.

Sugar. Something sugary sweet was clouding the air. Lucifer's senses were sharp, and he knew a pure angel was somewhere close to them. This sudden development confused, and irritated Lucifer. What was a Pure Angel doing anywhere near him? Usually, Pure Angels would sense the dark, spicy scent of a Fallen and move as far away from them as possible. Fearing the creatures they knew as walking sin. But this scent was getting stronger… closer.

"Jesus Christ!" Juno suddenly cried, pulling Lucifer to sudden attention. "You're BLEEDING! What happened?"

Lucifer's eyes suddenly met the crystal blue orbs belonging to the Pure Angel stinking up his air. She was a pretty little thing. She looked how angels oughta look, with the champagne blonde hair and cherub blue eyes. She was cut on her neck and arm, causing Juno's apparent alarm.

But her wounds certainly did not alarm Lucifer. Even if she DID matter to him, he knew that angels healed rapidly. Those wounds would be nothing after some good rest. What interested Lucifer, is HOW this Pure Angel got these wounds.

Yet it goes without saying that there was NO way, AT ALL, that Osmie would tell either of them the truth. Maybe Lucifer would believe her if she told him that the Marquis of Fear beat her up a little in an alley and then sent her on her way…

There was no way that JUNO would have believed that. She noted idly that Juno looked… FAR too much like the Organic Angel, Alexiel… but she just as quickly understood the… nature… of Juno's situation and moved on to more pressing matters. She needed to come up with a HUMAN excuse, and fast… But it was hard to do some clever thinking… when the Dark King was standing right before her, cold gray eyes staring at her.

And he was even CLOSER to her Guarded. A large bubble of anger flared up inside of her, made her want to shove him away even as she was bleeding on the concrete. A deep frown curled her pouting mouth as her blue eyes looked at him, pierced imaginary daggers THROUGH him. How DARE he stand so close to her Guarded? How DARE he???

Top of Form

Lucifer felt angry words forming on the tip of his tongue, but he never got the pleasure of saying them.

"Hold this!" Juno said, thrusting her purse into his chest. He caught it in his arms before it fell, momentarily bewildered. What was he? Her pack mule?

But any complaints Lucifer may have had vanished when Juno's hands flew to the buttons of her white shirt. Her fingers worked the buttons open, and the lapels opened to dip further and further down her cleavage. Lucifer fell completely silent, watching those hands work.

Juno rolled her eyes. "Don't get too excited, Don Juan. I have a tank on, underneath." Sure enough, she stripped off her shirt and underneath it was a white spaghetti strap tank. It clung to her skin and left little to the imagination. It even went so far as to reveal the top portions of the black fabric of her bra. But still… it was better than nothing.

"Pity." Lucifer found himself smirking, and unable to take his eyes off of her.

Again, Juno rolled her eyes as she passed her shirt to the bleeding woman in front of her. She found herself perplexed. This woman, although bleeding, was a gorgeous specimen. Perfect supermodel material. She even wore a clingy hot pink minidress and silver stiletto heels… and he was staring at HER? With her tiny body and barely developed curves? It made no sense.

Osmie's eyes flickered between the white shirt and Lucifer's smirking face. A mental debate formed: which was more important? Taking the white shirt, or slapping that smirk off of his face? Both were important, surely. But which should she do first?

Then she realized that slapping him, in GENERAL, would be an odd action to do, as far as Juno would be concerned. With that, her frowning mouth quivered and she snatched the clean white shirt. Her hand flew to her neck and was glad to see that the wound had stopped bleeding. She wouldn't need to tear the shirt, then. As she worked to tie the white fabric around her arm and marred it with her blood, she felt a shivery soreness spreading along her upper back, ticklish stinging on her shoulder blades.

… That's RIGHT. She was hurt there, too. "I'm sorry for ruining your shirt…" Those were the first words she spoke to her Guarded, selfless, full of concern only for Juno and whatever things were hers. She reached back to touch scraped up skin… but this wound, as well, had stopped bleeding. She would only need to focus on the gash in her arm, then. A symbol. A reminder of a deal she'd made with a SATAN, of all things. But at least it was for a greater good. Lucifer should be taken care of in no time.

"Don't sweat it." Juno only shrugged, concern echoing in her eyes. "I think I got it at Value Village for like… three bucks. What the Hell happened to you?"

"That's what I would like to know." Lucifer said, his tone smooth and hiding his amusement. There was a vague undertone of mockery in that voice. Because he was indeed curious, and the look in his eyes gave away that he _knew_ exactly what Osmie was.

Osmie was quick to shoot Lucifer a dark glare. Of course he knew what she was. She figured he would. What she DIDN'T need was for him to slip that subtle sting in his words. What was he going to do? Call her out on her status as an Angel? HAH. Let him. It sure wouldn't get him far.

No, no. She was getting all caught up in her emotions and idle thoughts again. She still needed an excuse, NOW. Her blue eyes darted to the purse Lucifer held for her Guarded, and suddenly a lie slipped into place. "… My purse!" She pointed to Juno's and elaborated on her cry, "A man beat me and stole my purse!" That seemed… reasonable enough, right? Sad, of course. Just downright HORRIBLE, even. But a natural reason for her wounds, right?

"Oh, how dreadful!" Lucifer said, clearly coating his voice with a mock sympathy.

Juno arched a brow at Lucifer. "What the Hell's your problem?" She didn't wait for his response before turning her attention back to Osmie. "Jesus. Did you see his face? Did you call the police?"

Osmie was trying hard – VERY HARD – not to claw Lucifer's face off. If it weren't for the fact that Juno was there, she probably WOULD have. Maybe he'd kill her. Then she wouldn't have to live with a man who would kill her at a later date, ANYWAY.

No, dammit, no! Time to focus on weaving up elaborate lies if she had to! Lucifer was doing a marvelous job of keeping her off track… if that was what he was trying to do, anyway. "I'm not quite sure… It was really dark; he pulled me into an alley…" THAT much as true, at least! "And my phone was in my purse. I haven't been able to call anyone!" Hey, that much was true too! … Kind of. She didn't even HAVE a phone, yet.

Juno reached out to take her purse from Lucifer and dug into its depths. "Shit.." She murmured, pulling out her cell phone. "Battery's dead."

"But we live just around the corner." Lucifer said, again not taking his eyes off of Juno's face.

"That's true…" Juno said, slinging her purse back over her shoulder. "Come on… I have a first aid kit in my bathroom." She gestured for Osmie to follow her, ignoring Lucifer's stare.

Osmie resisted the urge to wave Lucifer off and follow her Guarded to her – wait a minute. "We…? Are you two living together?" She blinked rapidly and sent up a silent prayer that they weren't. Though it would explain why he'd been sensed MUCH too close to her Guarded…

"I wish." Lucifer said, smirking at Osmie from behind Juno's back.

"We live across the hall from each other." Juno said, digging keys from her purse. "And that's it." She threw on the last statement as a way to let both Osmie, AND her weird neighbor know that.

Osmie sighed and tried to make it sound more exhausted and hurt than relieved... though she could not resist sending a merry, perky smile to Lucifer. "Ah, I live just to the right of you!" She exclaimed with mock-surprise.

That wiped the smirk right off the Dark Lord's face. "Is that so…?"

And then she realized that soon she would be plucked right out of that room... by the Marquis of Fear. Joy. "… Well, I used to. I'm going to be moving in with my…" Evil, homicidal Marquis? "… boyfriend." She could only hope that her pause had not been long enough to become suspicious. But the 'moving in with her boyfriend' excuse sounded a whole lot better than the 'moving in with her brother and/or any other family member' excuse. It made her sound less… pathetic and more like… a NORMAL person.

"That's strange." Lucifer said quietly, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "I would have thought you lived further _up north_."

Juno arched a brow at the obvious growing tension between the two of them. "Um… This is my apartment, right here." She said softly, slipping her keys into the dead bolt of her apartment.

Osmie didn't miss a beat as she stepped into Juno's apartment, a hand still resting over the shirt wrapped tightly around her arm. "Really? What makes you say that?" She shot him a look that DARED him to try it. Just TRY to call her out on being an Angel. She was DYING to see how much he thought he'd be able to get away with. "Shoes off?" Her voice morphed into sugary sweetness when she spoke to Juno, pointing at one strappy heel.

"Call it a hunch…" Lucifer mumbled as he followed the two women into Juno's apartment.

"No, that's okay. This place isn't exactly ritzy." Juno said, dropping her bag next to the door. "Um… have a seat, I guess. I'll get that first aid kit." Juno weaved her way through some stacks of boxes as she made her way to the bathroom. "Excuse the mess. I haven't finished unpacking yet."

The moment Juno disappeared into her bathroom, Lucifer was not making himself at home. He stepped right up behind Osmie and took her by the arm, pressing his chest to her back. "Just what do you think you're doing?" He said to her, his voice low enough that Juno couldn't hear.

His grip was not firm, but the astral power flowing out of this man was enough to intimidate. He was the kind of man that didn't particularly enjoy violence, but he certainly didn't have reservations in delivering it. And his voice dripped with a powerful sort of warning.

Osmie hissed as her back brushed against him, the scrapes aggravated. She arched her back just slightly before she spoke through gritted teeth, "I guess it's normal for people in Hell to be rough?" Who cares if she didn't answer his question? She didn't WANT to answer his question.

"I figured this would be the best way to get your attention, Angel." Lucifer muttered right back, his grip tightening slightly. "Now answer my question. Why are you here?"

She flinched and considered stomping on his foot with her stiletto heel, but decided to be a bit more gracious, like the Angel she was. "I'm here to keep YOU away from MY Guarded. So you'd do good to turn around and just… WALK AWAY." She knew it wouldn't be that easy. Nothing ever is. But she at least got her point across. That was all she cared about, at the moment.

Lucifer only chuckled. "Oh really? And what is a little Angel like you going to do if I say no?" He chuckled again, this time brushing his thumb along the skin of her arm.

And this time Osmie pulled herself from his touch and openly slapped him, blue eyes burning into gray ones. "I'll kill you." She wasn't sure how seriously he would take her… but she was working with Astaroth, now. Killing him was definitely a possibility now that she was under his wing… and the longer she was in Lucifer's presence, the more she didn't MIND the idea of killing him. She didn't mind one bit.

Osmie's sudden slap didn't so much hurt Lucifer as it surprised him. He arched a dark brow as he looked down at this livid angel. "Well." A dangerous smirk spread across his face as he leaned down to her eye level, his eyes blazing into hers with a silent challenge. "Game on, sugar plum." He said, his voice edgy with his secret, competitive excitement. The appearance of this angel, so fierce in protecting her Guarded, would only make his hunt that much sweeter. Especially when he won.

He quickly turned away from her and busied himself with casually inspecting the titles on a bookshelf near her kitchen entrance, just as Juno came out of the bathroom. She carried a white tin box in her hands. "I got the First Aid kit." Juno glanced at Lucifer, then back at Osmie.

Osmie's eyes shifted away from Lucifer's, though they remained cross even as she grabbed the little white box. "Thank you SO much…! I'm sorry, what was your name?" She asked softly, playing her part smoothly. Nevermind that she already knew Juno's name. She even knew her birthday and her zodiac sign… not that any of these were all that important, at the moment.

"It's Juno." She said, and once again her eyes wandered to Lucifer as he pulled one of her books off the shelf. "You?"

"Osmie." She answered simply, thankful to have a reason to ignore Lucifer's presence, his spicy-rose scent. "Osmie Cole." And she automatically held out her hand for a handshake. Standard human protocol, right?

Juno turned up her nose, slightly. She never really liked touching people she didn't know, even for something as simple as a handshake. But she reached forward and grasped Osmie's hand, anyway. For the sake of politeness. "Nice to meet you." Juno quickly released Osmie's hand and pointed to her worn grey couch. "Sit. I can help you patch that up, if you'd like."

Lucifer took the book he had taken from Juno's shelf and sat himself down in an equally worn grey recliner. He set the book in his lap and popped it open to read it.

"Make yourself at home." Juno said, arching a brow.

"Thanks. I will." Lucifer winked at her, his lips never twitching into a smile.

Osmie promptly seated herself, smoothing down the bottom hem of her pink mini dress as she crossed her legs. Her eyes were narrow, scrutinizing as she took in the wink, but she tried to keep her voice cheerful as she asked softly, "So are you two…?" Her voice trailed off and she sent another hopeful prayer up to Heaven. She needed these two to be as unassociated with each other as POSSIBLE. Anything that tied them together would make this more difficult than it needed to be…

"Hardly." Juno said, her voice calm and even. She took a seat next to Osmie on the couch and pulled the first aid kit into her lap. "I just met Malachai tonight, actually."

"But we're already such good friends." Lucifer said, not bothering to hide his smirk.

She couldn't help but give out a short snort of laughter at Lucifer's choice of name, and promptly held her free hand over her mouth to stifle it was she held her wounded arm out to Juno. "Oh, sorry about that. I once knew a Malachai. He was a very pitiful and horrible sort of fellow, you know? I'm glad that I moved away from town when I could. No one should be anywhere near him." She wondered if that was too catty of a thing to say, but ultimately decided that it didn't matter. She'd enjoy taking as many subtle stabs at Lucifer as possible before she killed him… However she was going to do that, anyway.

Juno popped open the First Aid kit as she absently listened to Osmie's ramblings. "And why's that?"

"He was probably one of those obnoxious types who stuck his nose into business that didn't concern him." Lucifer said, his grey eyes blistering into Osmie's.

"He WAS, actually!" Osmie agreed with a voice like poisoned sugar. "He had a horrible habit of meddling with women he had no business with!"

"Is that so?" Lucifer fired back, his tone still smooth with hidden malice. "I don't believe that anyone should stand in the way of what a man wants. Or who. What do you think, Juno?"

Juno blinked as she steadily mopped away the remaining blood on Osmie's wound. "Well I don't think that it's any outside party's business when it comes to relationships."

"Well in MY case, the Malachai that I know was a liar and manipulator who never had the best interests of any woman in mind." Osmie sniffed and flinched at the contact against her torn skin. "Sometimes it's a good idea to save an unwitting woman from being used and hurt." 'Take THAT, Dark King!' She wanted to add, and she probably would have if she could.

"How well did you know this Malachai?" Lucifer said, casually prodding for answers while hiding under both their false identities.

A corner of Osmie's mouth twitched, but she pressed on, "Well, I'm not really sure if it's your business, but let's just say that his reputation precedes him."

"Reputation isn't everything."

Juno quietly listened to their strange banter as she used butterfly bandages to patch up the wound on Osmie's arm. There was a strange animosity between her two guests, and she couldn't really figure out the reason why.

Lucifer addressed Juno without waiting for another of Osmie's responses. "Where did you learn to patch up cuts like that?" He asked.

"My brother." Juno said simply, getting out a roll of gauze. "He spent most of his younger years on a skateboard, therefore he spent most of his time bleeding and hurt." She shrugged. "Clumsiness runs in the family."

This time, Osmie opted for silence, merely supplying a soft 'mmm' and nodding accordingly. She tried to ignore the heat of anger still bubbling up inside her. 'Reputation isn't everything'? HAH. He was going to have to try REALLY hard to get her to change her opinion. Heaven had painted him up as an evil person for a REASON, after all. He wasn't a scapegoat.

But if he wanted to change the subject to idle talk about Juno and her brother… let him. The sooner they ended this subtle argument, the better. "… All the experience has paid off," she finally added, her voice returning to nothing but feathery softness, "I'm sure this will heal over without a scar." Nevermind that it would have, ANYWAY.

"You're just lucky it was a _clean _cut. That must have been a really sharp knife he used on you…" Juno said, wrapping Osmie's forearm in gauze.

The Angel shuddered just thinking about it… the sharp and shining blade biting into her skin. Her eyes immediately dropped to the floor as she mumbled, "It was…"

"Well it'll heal nicely." Juno said as she finished wrapping Osmie's arm and put the First Aid kit aside. "You should probably go home and cancel all your credit cards before your mugger decides to use them."

"Yes, Osmie. You should hurry." Lucifer said, his tiny smirk making a reappearance.

Oh, no…! She couldn't leave, yet! Not with the Dark King making himself MUCH too comfortable in Juno's apartment! She nibbled on her bottom lip briefly as she realized that she couldn't just insist on staying for longer. Logically speaking, she DID have to take care of her imaginary credit cards, thanks to her excuse. Oh, WHY did she make up a lie about a purse??? Next time she'd know better. … Though she hoped that there wouldn't BE a 'next time.' "You're right, I should… Thanks again for the help." Osmie stood on her silver heels and yawned while forming some subtle plan to get Lucifer out of Juno's apartment… What could she do? "… You must be pretty tired as well, Malachai. It's very late." Her blue eyes pierced into him, willing him to stand up and MOVE on out of there. If only she COULD control his body… if only. She'd make him run back down to Hell and lock himself away.

"I'm not tired at all, really." Lucifer said, ignoring Osmie's to give Juno a crooked smile.

"Again. Nice try, Casanova. I'm gonna go to SLEEP, now." Juno said, standing up from the couch and stretching.

Osmie couldn't help but shoot the Dark King a cruel grin. "Looks like we'll both have to leave."

"It appears that way, doesn't it?" Lucifer gave Osmie a smug look. He wasn't at all discouraged by Juno's second rejection. Hell… Now that Osmie was in the picture, this was turning out to be more fun than he could have ever imagined.

"Go polish yourself off on Osmie, or something. You guys would be cute together." Juno said, escorting the two of them to her door.

Lucifer's smirk deepened. "I don't sleep with prostitutes."

Osmie's eyes narrowed into thin blue slits as her smirk widened. "You wish I had a price. I already told both of you – I'm going to be moving in with my boyfriend." Not that she was particularly fond of thinking of the Marquis as her boyfriend… but that WAS the lie she'd made. "Meaning I'm unavailable. Looks like you'll have to consult late-night pornographic movies… Malachai." She emphasized his fake name with a sour little grin.

"I only settle for the real thing." Lucifer said, turning his gaze to Juno. "And I'm a very patient man." He nodded once to Juno. "I'll be seeing you."

Juno only smiled and laughed a little. "Later, Malachai."

With one last triumphant smirk at Osmie, Lucifer took the three steps across the hall to his own apartment, and disappeared inside.

"Have you two met before, or something?" Juno asked. She was still smiling, and there was a slight blush tinting her cheeks.

Osmie gave a haughty sort of snort, crossing her arms over her chest. She flinched a little at the pressure put on her wound, but endured the ache. "His reputation precedes him. I've heard plenty about HIM…" Her blue eyes slid over to pierce Juno with a look of genuine concern. "… If you're smart, you really should stay away from him. He's one of those no-good types." Now that he was gone she was going to say whatever she needed to say in order to get Juno to keep her guard up. When she could be sure that Juno would stay away from Lucifer, it would make the act of killing him MUCH easier…

But Juno only shrugged her shoulders, her smile never fading. "I think he's kind of charming, actually. Much better than my ex, that's for sure."

Osmie's heart sank just slightly, and she rolled her eyes. "You shoot too low. Give it some time; there are WAY better men around this city."

Juno arched a brow at Osmie, still smiling. "Coming from the girl who was mugged today?"

A pout formed on her already-pouted lips. "This was a freak accident! There really ARE great men around here, I promise you! Maybe I can take you out some time and we'll find you a good one."

"That's nice of you." Juno said, her words punctuated with laughter. "But I'm not looking for a relationship, right now. Mr. Malachai's going to learn that, too."

Osmie gave her a smile in response, though it seemed small and… oddly sympathetic. "Just need some time to yourself…?"

"Let's just say that my last relationship wasn't exactly… healthy. So men are my last priority, right now."

"Well that's fine." Osmie agreed quietly, nodding. "If anything your top priority should always just be yourself… you know? Besides. You're new in town. You should get established here before hunting down guys."

Juno arched a brow. "You're preaching to the choir, sister." She smiled and opened the door for Osmie. "But I may take you up on your offer to go out, sometime. I'm always open to making new friends."

Friends. Perfect! Is Osmie could befriend Juno closely enough it would just THAT much easier to keep Lucifer away. Besides, Juno was a fun person, and Osmie knew that. Of course she would. She was the one who'd been watching over Juno all these years. "That would be great…! When I get a new phone I'll give you the number. Then I won't have to stalk you or something." She laughed lightly as her silver stilettos carried her out the door and into the hallway.

"Well, if all else fails. You know where I live. Goodnight, Osmie."

"Night!" Osmie smiled and waved with her unwounded arm, taking the few steps needed to enter her apartment. As she slipped her little silver key into the lock and twisted it, she idly noted that there didn't seem to be any clicking. No resistance of any kind. Already unlocked… but she thought nothing of it.

Which was one of the biggest mistakes of her life.

She gasped as the familiar, lanky arm snaked out and pulled her into the darkness of her apartment. The door shut. The lock clicked into place. She shuddered as she found her scraped-up back pressed hard against the closest wall.

"Boyfriend? Is that what you're telling Lucifer?"

The shock and pain made it hard for her to speak. She found herself quivering all over again. "W-would… you rather I t-tell him you're here…?"

Astaroth's golden eyes had a way of hardening after she stared into them for a moment. "No. It's best left in the dark up until you kill him."

"About that…" She immediately whimpered as he brushed that sharp blade down her cheek.

"You said you'd do this. So you're going to do it." His voice was firm, low. It purred in a snakeish way.

Osmie struggled against his hold, her heels knocking against the wall. "But… how…?"

"This." He granted her relief when he released her, only to press a vial into her hand. The edges were sharp and bit into her palm. "Pour it his drink. Quick and easy for a pathetic little Angel like you."

She made the fatal error of pushing the vial against his chest. "If that's your plan, do it yourself!" A cry left her throat when his and closed around the gauze-covered wound and squeezed. Hard.

"LISTEN, PUPPET." The Marquis hissed, his knife poised against her throat yet again. "You agreed to this. Pour the poison over the blade of a knife if you're so intent on making this more dramatic. I might actually appreciate that. But you will NEVER," he tugged hard on her wounded arm, and Osmie bit her lip to keep from screaming, "EVER," he tugged again, "TALK to me like that." The knife prodded her cheek. "Understood?"

Osmie hesitated. A sharp slap caused her to gasp and flinch.

"Understood?" He merely repeated.

"Yes…" She whispered, shaking off the pain.

"Hmm?" Astaroth dropped the blade down to her heart and pressed. A bead of blood formed.

And Osmie shivered, whimpered, and glared blue daggers into his gold orbs. "I SAID YES." His eyes went wide, and she cried out when he slapped her again.

"You don't need to be so angry." The ironic words spilled from his mouth. He finally released her, pressing the vial of poison into her hand again. "Do it soon. I'll come fetch you tomorrow night." He seemed… eager to leave. Without a goodbye, he left her. He had a way of making the act of slipping out her open window seem graceful.

Osmie breathed, the relief washing over her. She wouldn't be sleeping under the same roof as HIM tonight. ONE night of peace. Thank God…!

Now she just had to figure out… how to kill the Devil.

**To be continued… **


	4. Chapter 4

**Morning Star**

By: 24ko and Brenli

Chapter 4

It was nearly 10:30 at night when Juno came home from her shift at work. She still had her small black apron tied tightly around her waist, and a plain black tee-shirt that read 'Jack's Diner' on. She yawned widely as she entered the main floor of her apartment complex, digging for her keys. Just inside the door were the several mailboxes for the tenants. And a familiar tenant was already there, checking his own mail.

"Hey, Juno." He said, nodding his head. His black hair swung before his eyes, creating a picture of casual, bad boy edginess.

"Hey, Malachai."

"Just getting home?" He asked, staring at her with his piercing grey eyes.

He seemed to be the only man capable of making Juno feel so unsettled by his gaze, alone. She immediately had to swallow a strange lump in her throat, and she looked away. "Yeah… Dana called in sick, so I had to cover for her." Juno scoffed. "I told her not to have that last White Russian..."

"What a lightweight." Lucifer said with another crooked smile.

"No kidding." Juno rolled her eyes.

"You going straight to bed? Or would you like some company?" Lucifer asked, smirking at her.

"You just cut straight to the chase, don't you?" Juno said, trying to hide her smile.

"I don't like to mince words."

Juno shrugged her shoulders and made her way up the stairs to her apartment. "I suppose I wouldn't mind some company. I was just going to watch a movie."

"Perfect." Lucifer said, and followed her up the stairs.

Idly, Juno thought about what Osmie would say to her inviting him into her apartment for the evening. Although Juno knew she wouldn't _do_ anything with Malachai, it was still kind of funny to picture Osmie's face. She had no idea why her newfound acquaintance had such a grudge against her neighbor. But Juno thought little of it. After all, Malachai was pretty harmless… right?

oOoOoOoOo

A pair of soft white thigh high socks, slightly wrinkled around a pair of ankles, waved about idly in the air as Osmie lay upon her belly, booting up her little white laptop. Her blue eyes shifted over to the glowing red numbers of her clock. 10:28 PM.

She sighed and wondered when the Marquis of Fear was planning on coming down to steal her into his… probably not-so-humble abode. She SHOULD have taken care of Lucifer by now… she KNEW that she should have…

But she was no fool, and understood that she might was well be going up against a giant. But what could she do, when she had ANOTHER giant PUSHING her to do this?

"Hello, Candidate Osmadiel." Her laptop chirped to her. It didn't HAVE to chirp like that… but Osmie kind of liked the chirping. She thought it was cute. "You have 3 unread emails."

Osmie ignored the helpful reminder. "Open Instant Chat." Her voice was low and tired as she prodded the vial of poison resting on her mattress. She waited for the series of quiet beeps that indicated the opening of her program, and then her laptop chirped again.

"Professor Bariel sends a request for live video chat. Accept?"

Perfect! Just the person she needed to talk to! "Yes!" Osmie chirped right back, and a big black screen appeared before lightening to reveal the face of her Modern Evils professor… of 2 times.

The familiar face of her professor seemed both surprised and relieved. "Oh, good. You're still alive."

"I might not be for much longer…" Osmie muttered darkly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Her little hands flailed wildly before the screen, making Professor Bariel blink.

"How goes your mission? Is the Dark King staying away from your Guarded?"

Osmie gave him a dry laugh. "Hardly. He seems very intent on laying claim on her. The fact that I'm here doesn't seem to be helping the situation at all."

"God grant you the aid you need, child." His voice quivered fearfully for her.

Osmie was glad. By this point, she was almost too tired to WANT to appear fearful. "I was hoping that YOU could aid me in some way, Professor."

"Absolutely!" Professor Bariel agreed heartily, leaning forward so that his big brown eyes momentarily took up the screen. The scraping against the floor let Osmie know that he was scooting his chair closer to his computer. "How may I help you?"

"I need any and all sources you might have concerning the Satans."

"The SATANS?" Bariel repeated, his glasses slipping down his nose. "… Your own texts are not enough?"

Osmie held up her leather bound, brown book. An entire section was marked off with pink sticky notes. "… Nope."

The professor seemed doubtful, one brow arched high. Osmie's silence was enough to make his face go ashy. "… No. SATANS? You are encountering the SATANS, as well?"

"Just Astaroth."

"ASTA-" Bariel's brown eyes seemed ready to pop out of their sockets. "Osmie, you must come back to Heaven at once!"

But her pale blonde strands swung around her head as she shook it. "The Dark King is after my Guarded. I have to stay."

"But ASTAROTH!" The professor's voice quivered again. "Has he hurt you?"

Osmie opened her mouth to speak, but a whimper slipped from Professor Bariel's lips and made her pouted mouth frown. "… He's right behind me, isn't he?"

"How did you guess?" The voice was cold at first, slithering into her ears, but his touch was rough, cruel. He flipped the poor Angel onto her back, and the blade of his knife was – once again – pressing against her throat. "Why is he still alive, Puppet???" His gold eyes burned into hers, shifting away when she dared to meet his gaze.

ALWAYS meeting his gaze. Looking into his eyes. One day, he was going to get around to plucking those eyes out of her pretty little face.

"UNHAND HER, DEMON!" Bariel snarled, but he could only do so much through a computer screen.

"I'M NOT SPEAKING TO YOU!" The Marquis snarled back, his free hand grabbing the vial of poison and holding it before the screen. "See this? This could kill this Pure, innocent Angel beneath me in 2 seconds. Of course, so could my knife, which is already in just the right spot." He pressed the knife against her throat, and Osmie let out a choked squeak.

"DON'T! DON'T HURT HER!" The professor was desperate. "She only wants to get Lucifer away from her Guarded! She has no quarrel with you!"

"Oh, I know. She's on my side. She's going to kill Lucifer tonight." He didn't need to look down to know that the blade of his knife was delivering a tender and violent kiss to her throat. Blood started to bead against the flesh. "And if she doesn't, I will kill her for wasting my time."

"STOP, STOP! YOU'RE HURTING HER!" Bariel cried.

Astaroth's face hovered dangerously close to her quivering face. A slow, easy smile spread over his features as he stared up at the screen. "… I know."

The Satan allowed the silence to fill the room, relishing in the fear smothering Bariel's face. He was glad that this Angel could react right. Even if this Osmie woman was afraid… well, she couldn't have been THAT afraid if she was so intent on STARING at him all the time. It was enough to make him want to… pluck her eyes out right now. He tossed around the idea, the blade of his knife prodding just under her left eye.

FINALLY, those beautiful, clear blue eyes closed as she whimpered. The Angel in the computer screen had his hands clasped together, mumbling prayers.

PRAYERS! HAH! Like those ever worked!

"Puppet," Astaroth tapped her cheek with the flat of his blade. He wouldn't pluck out her eyes, he'd decided. He wouldn't do it YET, anyway. "Watch this." He popped the top off the vial and poured the clear liquid over the blade of his knife, running it down each side. The excess splashed cold upon Osmie's white shirt, making her gasp. "This is a POISONED BLADE. You're going to stab Lucifer with this TONIGHT. Or else this blade will stab into YOU. Understood?"

Osmie remembered that he would strike her if she didn't answer promptly. "Y-yes!"

"Good." The Marquis rested the knife on her bosom and climbed off the bed, regarding the frightened Angel in the computer screen with a nod. "Nice meeting you."

And then he was gone.

Silence permeated the room before Osmie rolled back onto her belly, the poisoned knife tumbling onto her blankets.

"Sweet Jesus, Osmie, you're bleeding…!"

"… It's fine." Osmie's hand floated to the thin, shallow line at her throat, gently pushing on the torn skin. The damage was surprisingly insignificant, though in the heat of the moment Osmie had been sure that she'd been seriously hurt. "It will heal…"

Professor Bariel's voice was hushed and hurried. "I will send you everything I have on Astaroth immediately. Would you prefer hard copies or will computer files suffice?"

"Both."

"Consider it done, Osmie. May God help you." The screen went black, and then shrank away to reveal Osmie's wallpaper – a teddy bear leaning on a big, golden cross.

The computer chirped, unphased. "Professor Bariel has closed the video chat and is now offline. Would you like to check your email, Osmadiel?"

"No. Computer shut down." Osmie's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Goodbye, Osmadiel." The laptop's screen went black once more.

Osmie felt a sneer tugging on her pouted lips. "Goodbye." She repeated to no one. Goodbye. How disgustingly final, that one word. Goodbye.

She stared down at the blade, the blade that had sliced her flesh open several times, by now. If it did so this time, she would be dead.

She would do everything in her power to make sure that the knife would not cut her open, this time… But wait.

What if Lucifer was no where near her? She'd have to comb through the entire town searching for him! Osmie buried her face in her hands and groaned. Surely she was doomed. Surely she wouldn't find the Dark King in time. Surely Astaroth would FINALLY stab her deep in the throat and leave her for dead.

Then she heard the deep, silky and unmistakable voice… floating through the wall Osmie shared with Juno. And icy fear flooded Osmie at that moment, and her lips parted to taste the air. Dark and spicy energy seemed to fill her mouth, and she wanted to spit it back out.

At least that meant that Lucifer was still within her reach… Unfortunately, that also meant that JUNO was within HIS reach! Osmie's fingers automatically curled around the handle of the knife, and she sprinted to her door –

Wait. No. She needed to change her poison-drenched shirt and put on her shoes. That was easily taken care of, the white shirt switched with a burgundy one, and black ankle boots slipped onto her feet. There! Now she was ready!

No, no, wait. She couldn't just CHARGE into Juno's apartment and slay Lucifer… Curses! This was going to be more difficult than it needed to be!

As she pouted and tried to come up with a last-minute plan, she pressed her back against the wall she shared with Juno, allowing herself to listen in on whatever idle babble she might be sharing with the Dark King. She may as well keep tabs on Juno while waiting for Lucifer to leave, right…?

oOoOoOoOo

"So how long have you been working at Jack's?" Lucifer asked, gazing around Juno's apartment. She had a strange assortment of knick knacks scattered throughout her apartment. Little trinkets that varied from ceramic polished unicorns, to wooden dolphins, and stone dragons.

"About three weeks, now." Juno said, and Lucifer turned his gaze from her trinkets to watch her retreat to her bedroom. In the crack of the door, visible for only a moment as it swung closed, he saw her reach for the hem of her shirt....

His tongue flicked over his bottom lip as he contemplated rushing in there after her. Contemplated helping her undress that body and… tucking her in. He chuckled at the thought… it would be too easy.

In Heaven, he had learned that Patience is a virtue. And despite Lucifer's hatred for all things virtuous, if he had no patience, he wouldn't just be considering charging into Juno's bedroom while she changed. He wouldn't just be considering claiming exactly what he wanted. He would be doing it.

He had known Juno a grand total of two days, yet he already felt like he had the patience of Job.

A sugary soft scent tickled his nose, and Lucifer's eyes drifted to the wall beside him. He smiled a little, as though he could see the Angel pressed up against the other side… eavesdropping. Not that he minded. Juno's Guardian Angel was making this a lot more fun than Lucifer could have imagined.

Juno emerged from her bedroom, wearing a loose tank top and a different pair of lighter colored jeans. She was tightening the bun of hair behind her head, her gaze tilted down, her arms raised as her hands worked.

In that moment, Lucifer couldn't deny the obvious allure of Juno Monahan. Her movements were graceful, fluid, delicate. He thought back to a comment she had made about her family's genetic clumsiness, and he couldn't disagree more.

Her resemblance to Alexiel was indeed striking, but the subtle differences in her features did nothing to belittle that face.

She was beautiful.

Juno's body stiffened as he stepped closer. She hadn't realized that he had been watching her so intently. She certainly realized it, now… She stared up into those cool grey eyes, recognizing the look shining deep within them. A look of hunger… desire.

"Malachai?" She asked, her voice sticking in her throat, her gaze locked with his.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when he touched her. It was a single, gentle hand upon her waist, guiding her backwards. Her eyes never left his as he backed her against the same wall Osmie was pressed against, on the other side.

The sugary sweet scent was nearly enough to overpower Juno's. Lucifer looked at the wall as though he could see through the paint and wood, to see the angel whose scene was messing this up for him. He ignored the wall and focused on Juno again.

"Come to bed with me…" He said. He was careful to keep his voice free of any dark angelic glamours. No… He wanted to do this the old-fashioned way. By seducing the girl with nothing but his personality. His voice, and body. No magic. No cheap tricks.

From across the wall, Osmie's eyes became wide blue saucers. The Dark King dared to ask Juno to join him in BED? UNFATHOMABLE! HORRID! The Angel turned at that moment, pressing her ear tightly against the off-white paint of her wall. Surely her Guarded would decline. Surely Juno would say no…!

His voice was like silk against her skin. Silk that caused goosebumps to rise over every inch of her tender flesh. His hand on her waist caressed her with a crippling sensuality. This man was good, Juno thought, so good. It was easy to imagine herself in bed with him. But…

"No." She said, her voice very steady.

Not one foot away, Osmie grinned and hopped on her black ankle boots, the silver Angel wings on the zippers clinking against the leather. "That's my girl…!" Osmie whispered through the wall, enduring the spiciness of Lucifer's dark energy.

Lucifer's lips lifted at the corner, and he tried to picture the look on the nearby Angel's face at that moment. "No…?" His head dipped into the curve of her neck for a heartbeat, leaving a breath across the naked skin there. He lifted his face and looked down at her again. His palms pressed against the wall on either side of her, creating four barriers. The wall, his arms… and his body. And he stared down at her with a greater hunger. "You're so frail… weak. I could just force you." He added, almost whimsically, his tone dropping to something as hungry as his gaze.

Suddenly, Juno felt like a bird, trapped in the gaze of a serpent. She ignored the lump gathering in her throat, and surprisingly… she was not afraid of him.

But across that wall, Osmie was afraid of him. So afraid, and so ANGRY because of that fear, that she had the poisoned knife pointed right at the plaster. Her jaw was set and her eyes were narrowed, firm. She only wished that the knife was long enough to pierce all the way through the wall and enter through Lucifer's skull. One foot immediately swung out, toes pointed toward the door. ANY sign, she told herself. ANY sign of distress and Osmie would dash through that door and crash into Juno's apartment to save her. She might not be as strong as the Marquis or the King… but good Lord, she WAS strong enough to knock Juno's door off the hinges.

"But you won't." She said, her tone still even and calm.

"What makes you so sure?" He said, his voice an enticing purr.

Osmie's body leaned one inch toward her door, in spite of Juno's fearlessness.

"Because there's no fun in that, is there?"

Lucifer straightened a little. He was surprised, and oddly impressed by Juno's complete lack of fear. Humans were so easy to read. Humans could always say they're not afraid, even act like it. But the fear was always there, pungent, beneath the surface.

And Juno was not afraid of him. She was interested, intrigued… but not afraid.

Lucifer wondered why. People who knew no fear fell into two categories: first, they were too stupid to register danger. Second, they had stared death and pain in the face. They had met that enemy and conquered it. And now, he was dying to know which category Juno Monahan fit into.

And he was in luck, because he got his answer fairly quickly. His eyes traveled from her face, down her chest. And there, nestled in her cleavage, was an angry red line disappearing into the neckline of her shirt. He was slightly taken aback, wondering why he had never noticed this scar before. "What's this?" He asked, boldly tracing a finger along the rough line.

Osmie's blue eyes blinked rapidly at the sudden subject change. What was this? No further threat? No violent ravishment? He'd let his attempts at getting sex from her Guarded DIE in pursuit of enlightenment about a scar? There had to be some ulterior motive, here. Osmie wasn't going to wait any longer to find out. She pushed away from the wall and tucked the poisoned knife into one belt loop of her gray jeans, grateful that the burgundy top was long and loose enough to slip down and cover it, and stepped out of her apartment. No more eavesdropping. It was time to squash Lucifer's cunning plans – whatever they were – dead. Right under her boot.

She sucked in a quick breath. "Surgical scar." She said.

"… What kind of surgery?" Lucifer asked, his tone quiet.

"Open heart. I, uh… have a faulty ticker."

Lucifer stared into her green eyes, and idly traced his index finger up and down the topmost portion of her scar. "Did they fix it?"

"They put a band-aid on it. I could relapse." She said the words almost breathlessly, as though Lucifer were hypnotizing her deepest secrets right out of her.

Of course, Lucifer wasn't. He still wasn't using a bit of glamour on her. She was intoxicated by his face, his voice, and his light touch alone. "If you're sick… Why do you smoke?"

Her eyes narrowed. "What are you? The Surgeon General?" She snapped.

The doorbell buzzed obnoxiously. Not even a second passed before a light but persistent knocking commenced. Osmie tapped the heel of one ankle boot against the ground in impatience and bit her pouted bottom lip. Ten seconds, she told herself as she rang the doorbell again, only to keep on knocking. Ten seconds, and then she'd try to open the door herself. Maybe that was rash… but this was the DEVIL she was dealing with, here. She couldn't afford to be all THAT hesitant, even if it DID make her look like a loon.

A wry smile tugged at the corners of the Dark King's mouth. "… We have company." He said quietly to Juno, his hand moving to grip her arm.

"Who could that be…?" Juno asked, still breathless from their intimate contact. She shook free of his arm and headed for her door, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Who is it?" She called to the door.

"It's Osmie! Osmie Cole? Your neighbor?" The Angel tried to refrain from knocking on the door. Maybe she had WONDERFUL reason to be nervous, antsy, but she couldn't let Juno KNOW. She had to keep her cool. Osmie took a deep breath, in through her nose, out through her mouth. "Is L… Malachai in there with you?"

Juno arched a brow in confusion, and looked over her shoulder at Lucifer. He looked annoyed, all of a sudden. "Yeah, he's in here." Juno said, and she pulled open her door.

Osmie's blue eyes were wide with mock-happiness. "Oh, good! I needed to find you!" … But what for? Once again, she had no great cover, no excuse. What in the world would she need LUCIFER for? Her body immediately tensed, brain working hard for a reason to get him out of her Guarded's room. Her eyes darted about for some visual clue. What lie could she make? What last-minute excuse? "… I need you help with something!" But WHAT? Ugh, Osmie wasn't ANY good at this…

"No you don't." Lucifer said flatly, annoyed beyond all measure at Osmie's sudden, bothersome intrusion. He was finally starting to break Juno down, and with one final comment he had angered her. Before he could even make it up to her, her stupid Guardian Angel had to ruin it.

Osmie's eyes narrowed into thin blue slits. "Yes. I do." Not that she knew what he needed his help for… WHY couldn't she come up with an excuse? Anger bubbled up and made it even HARDER to think. Maybe she should just STAB the bastard. Who cares? She'd go back up to Heaven after that and watch over Juno from there. It didn't matter what Juno thought of her down here. Yes, she should just STAB the Dark King!

Then her shoulders slumped. No, she couldn't do it with her Guarded so close. Even if she COULD just go back to Heaven right after. She couldn't just… stab him and scare the daylights out of Juno. She locked her arms behind her back and tried to ignore the rage. She had to think… Then she spotted a row of strange, mixed up knick knacks on a shelf, and she silently praised Juno for her odd but WONDERFUL quirk. "I need help putting up some shelving. It's sort of annoying having to do it all by myself…"

"Then hire a handy man." Lucifer glared at her. "Do you normally go knocking around doors in the middle of the night to coerce people into doing your chores? Afraid you'll break a nail?"

"Don't be mean, Malachai." Juno said, those beautiful lips forming a delicate pout.

Lucifer's frown deepened. How could he get rid of Osmie without ticking Juno off? Clearly, Juno was on Osmie's side, here.

And Osmie could have whooped for joy… but that would have seemed rather out of place. She mirrored Juno's pout just then, though it looked childish compared to Juno's delicate pucker. "I'm fairly new to the Big City, too, you know… I have no money left in my bank account after the move. I can't hire a handy man." 'So get over it and let me kill you,' she almost added. Almost.

Osmie's story was enough to completely win Juno over, much to Lucifer's dismay. "I think you should help her, Malachai. It would be sweet."

Lucifer's lip twitched. Sweet? Was she serious? First, he had to hold her purse, and now, putting up shelves for her friends? Was Lucifer becoming whipped by a woman already? He grumbled. She had better be worth it. "Alright. Fine. I'll help you put up your 'shelves'." He said that last word with a sneer. He knew perfectly well she wasn't looking for someone to help with shelves. But it wasn't like Juno was privy to any of the masked conflicts between them.

Osmie's smile was wide and pleasant, sugar and sun. "THANK YOU! Thank you SO much!" She made her voice soft and friendly as she stepped backwards out of Juno's door, and then she nodded toward Juno and said, "Hey, I'm going clubbing tomorrow night. Would you like to come along? Scope out some guys?" She could not resist shooting Lucifer a sapphire glare for a split-second. An extra verbal barb wouldn't be too big a deal. He was going to die soon, anyway.

"I'll go. But not to scope out guys." Juno smiled. "No men for me, remember?"

"Pity." Lucifer said, his voice a silken purr as he walked passed her towards the door, sweeping a hand along her spine as he went. And Juno shivered. Visibly shivered at his touch. "Shall we?" He said to Osmie, not bothering to hide his triumphant smirk.

Osmie sent the Dark King a sharp glare, but then smiled at Juno as they made their exit. "Just a girl's night out, then. Later, Juno!" She kept her grin when she looked back at Lucifer, but her eyes hardened all over again. "Let's go…"

"Let's." Lucifer brushed his thumb along Juno's chin as he left. "Goodnight… Juno."

"Goodnight…" Juno said quietly as she shut the door behind Osmie and Lucifer. She leaned against the wood and tried to calm her racing heart. Good Lord… Malachai Lawrence was going to be the end of her.

Osmie could practically FEEL Juno's heart fluttering from behind the door, and she bit back the scowl as she opened her door and waved Lucifer in. She hoped she wasn't too late. She hoped that when she killed Lucifer, it wouldn't serve to break poor Juno's heart. It shouldn't, right? Juno hadn't known Lucifer for that long. In fact, Juno didn't actually KNOW Lucifer, anyway!

So there was no real need to worry. After the deed was done she could spend some time distracting her Guarded, bringing her out of whatever slump this would throw her into, and everything would be right with the world. A world without Lucifer.

The Guardian Angel took a deep breath, her fingers trailing along the handle of the poisoned knife. The little Angel that could… she'd do this.

She'd slay the Dark King.

**To be continued…**


End file.
